Box construction for spring-actuated pop-out toys



Oct. 15, 1957 J. A. FRAMPTON BOX CONSTRUCTION FOR SPRING-ACTUATED POP-OUT TOYS Filed May 7, 1956 INVENTOR FIG. 5: John A. Fram bl on ATTORNEY United States Patent BOX CONSTRUCTION FOR SPRING-ACTUATED POP-OUT TOYS John A. Frampton, Columbus, Ohio Application May 7, 1956, Serial No. 583,089

1 Claim. 7 (Cl. 272--27) This invention relates to an improved box for mechamcally animated novelties or pop-out toys, and has a for its general object to provide a box involving separable,

formed with resiliently yieldable means adapted to engage and hold the pop-out toy against actuation when the top section of the box is inverted for loading purposes, but which is arranged to release the pop-out toy from the box when the box occupies its normal upright position upon separation of the top and bottom section of the box.

A further object of the invention is to provide a box construction for spring-actuated pop-out or surprise toys which permits easy loading of the toy within the box and the retention of the toy in a concealed position within the box without resorting to normal finger pressure to hold the toy until the separate box sections are fitted together.

With these and other ends in view which will readily appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the improved construction and novel arrangement and combination of parts which will be hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the appended claim.

In the accompanying drawing there has been illustrated a simple and preferred form of the invention, it being, however, understood that no limitation is necessarily made to the precise structural details therein exhibited, but that changes, alterations and modifications within the scope of the claim may be resorted to when desired.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a vertical longitudinal sectional View taken through the box of the present invention and showing the sections thereof when in closed positions in confining against motion therein of an associated spring-actuated toy object;

Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical sectional view of the box taken along the line 2--2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view corresponding to Fig. 1 but showing the sections of the box separated to free the toy object contained therein;

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic view disclosing in full and broken lines the animated motion of the toy object when released from the box.

Corresponding parts in the several figures are denoted by like characters of reference.

As shown, my improved box embodies a bottom section 2,809,834 Patented Oct. 15, 1957 10 and atop section 11 composed of any suitable material, such as paperboard. The bottom section is of cubical formation and includes a bottom wall 12, upstanding side walls 13 and an open top, there being a false bottom 14 within the bottom section which is arranged above the bottom wall 12 and in parallel relation thereto.

The upper section is of corresponding formation and is formed to provide a horizontally extending top wall 15, rigidly depending, vertical side walls 16 and an open bottom, the walls 16 having slidable, interfitting engagement with the walls 13 of the bottom section. The side walls 16 are reinforced by adjacent inner walls shown at 17. The inner walls have height dimensions less than that of the outer side walls 16, causing their lower edges to form a shoulder 18 against which the upper edges of the side walls 13 of the lower section bear in limiting the telescoping motion'of the two sections when the box is completely closed.

In this instance, the upper or top section 11 carries an inner framework 19 formed to receive an animated, springactuated object 20 in a given stationary position within the top section of the boxing when the latter occupies an inverted position with the open bottom of the top section disposed upwardly, as viewed in Fig. 3. This framework provides a pair of spaced, parallel troughforming members 21 which are disposed against two opposite side walls of the top section in coextensive relation thereto, the members 21 being formed from one piece of material and being united by a cross web 22 disposed in engagement with the under face of the top wall 15.

At one end thereof the web 22 terminates in a downwardly and angularly extending flap 23 and at its opposite end in a substantially vertically depending flap 24 which is scored at 24a to provide a fold line for a swinging extension 25. A rubber band, spring or the like 26 has its lower portion passed under a lip 27 formed centrally on the outer edge portion of the extension and its upper portion passed around the back of the flap 24 at its region of merger with the web 22, the band serving to draw the extension 25v upwardly and into contact with the lower surfaces of the trough-forming members 21.

The toy object 20 adapted to be contained in the present box may comprise any one of a number of different types of spring-actuated animated toy objects having relatively movable parts adapted, in response to spring actuation, to impart animated motion to the toy object upon release thereof. In the form disclosed in the drawing, the same provides an oval or egg-shaped body from the opposite sides of which project a pair of elongated, relatively rotatable legs 28 connected with an internal spring-wound motor, not shown. The action of the toy is such that when the same is wound up by means of a key-receiving shaft 20a and released, the body rotates about the legs 28 in an eccentric motion and moves with a sudden rolling, jerking and flopping action over an associated supporting surface, as shown in Fig. 5. The outer surface of the toy-body may be suitably finished to impart to the object the appearance of a large sized spider, tarantula or the like.

Before the toy object is to be placed in the box, its internal spring motor is wound up through the key-receiving shaft 20a. Then, with the legs held against motion, the object is placed in the top section 11 of the box with the top section in an inverted position. At the time of such insertion the flap extension 25 is lifted against the force of the elastic band 26 so that the body of the object will lie in part on the web 22 of the internal framing and between the trough members 21, with the legs 28 of the object in contact with the lower horizontal surfaces of the trough-forming members 21. When so positioned the body of the object bears at one end thereof on the flap "23 and its opposite end is engaged and held against rotation by the flap extension 25 under tension 'of the elastic band 26.

With the object 20 so positioned in the top section, and with the latter still in an'i'nvertedposition, the lower section is telescoped into the open normally lower portion of the *top section to close the box, conceal the object 20 therein and to crowd or confine the toy object in its restrained position between the trough-forming members 21. The box is then placed in a normal upright position with the bottom section thereof resting upon a supporting surface. In its upright position, the

box is in condition for a surprise trick upon aperson unfamiliar with the operation of the novelty. When the top section of the box is lifted and removed from the bottom section, the weight 'of the toy object 20 is sufficien'tto overcome the holding forces of the elastic band 26 and 'fiap '25, thus permitting the object to drop downwardly upon the bottom section vand thereafter spring outwardly from the box and move in its unique manner across a floor or other supporting surface. After each surprise operation of the box, the toy object is rewound and replaced in the top section of the box, while the same occupies an inverted position, rerely by lifting up upon the flap 2S, placing the toy object 20 between the trough-forming members 21 and releasing the flap 25 to permit the same to hold the toy against spring actuation until the top section is once again turned to its upright position.

In view of the foregoing, it will be seen that the present invention provides a structurally simple, yet efiicient, box structure for spring-actuated animated or pop-out toys of the surprise or trick type, which box structure is characterized by its case of operation in permitting the loading and concealment of the associated toy, and conditioning of the box for a surprise or trick upon an unsuspecting person.

I claim:

A box for an animated, mechanical toy device of the AL type having relatively movable, motion-transmitting parts, said 'box comprising relatively separable, telescopically interfitting top and bottom:sections, said top section being open at the lower end thereof and said bottom section being open at the upper end thereof; a framework carried in said top section and defining a downwardly opening pocket for the reception of 'a toy device; a hingedly movable flap mounted in said top section for movement between :a first .position .fextending partially transversely across and obstructing the open 'pocket defined by said framework and a second position substantially opening said pocket, said flap, when occupying its first position, being engageable with a my device positioned in said pocket to hold the relatively movable, motion-transmitting parts thereof against movement; and resiliently yieldable means connected with said flaps and urging the latter toward its said first position, said resiliently yieldable means being arranged to hold said flaps in said first position when the top section of said box occupies an inverted position, -to thereby retain a toy device positioned in said pocket against movement therein, but

being yieldableinresponse to the weight of the my device uponsaid'flapwhen the top section o'fsaid'box is moved from an inverted to an upright position to permit said flap to move to its said second position, whereby to release a toy object initially positioned in said pocket from the confines of said box upon upward separation ofsaid'top section from said bottom section.

References Cited in the :file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

